The Disgruntled PM

The Disgruntled PM

by The Disgruntled PM

Business Education

The Metric Mirage: Replace Meaningless Metrics With Reality

Data expert Tom Hinkle joins the show to shred the illusion of corporate metrics and expose why your project dashboards are filled with useless vanity numbers. Moving past the sanitized corporate speak, Tom unpacks the chaotic reality of ungoverned shadow spreadsheets, the hypocrisy of fake full-time equivalent project savings, and why project teams inevitably figure out how to game the system rather than build actionable analytics. It is a brutal reality check on why your over-engineered Sankey charts are failing, why executives will always demand simple pie charts, and why mastering the unglamorous basics of Excel will continue to trump shiny new AI tools. Connect with Tom: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhinkleclt/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomsDataWorld Udemy Courses: https://www.udemy.com/course/power-up-with-excel/?couponCode=MT260720G1#instructor-1 Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

The Being Agile Myth: Why Your Scrum Ceremonies May Be Pure Theater

Agile Coach and 30-year software veteran Shawn Wallack strips the corporate theater out of product delivery, taking aim at massive "Awareness" meetings, CYA governance, and the delusion that installing software equals an agile transformation. We break down the stark difference between holding rigid ceremonies and actually making decisions, why perfectly logical frameworks fail under the weight of terrible corporate incentives, and why your documentation repository is essentially a graveyard. If your team is mistaking frameworks for principles and confusing friction with progress, it's time to stop hiding behind your rituals. Connect with Shawn: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwallack/ Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

Coaching High Achievers: Why Founders Need Coaches

The corporate world loves to worship at the altar of the "Lone wolf" executive, but the reality of leadership is usually a lot more nuanced. In this episode, executive coach Mike Howerton tears down the delusion that your job title makes you a superhero. We dissect the difference between a consultant versus a coach. The "Delegation tax" that turns founders into the ultimate bottlenecks and the harsh truth about why your core values could actually be destroying your team’s culture are also covered. This is a reality check for anyone addicted to controlling every detail of their projects. Connect with Mike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehowerton/ Website: https://www.howertoncoaching.co Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

Defending The Bottom Line: The True ROI Of Project Leaders

In this episode, Guest Justin J. MacBale strips away the corporate theater of enterprise project management to expose what actually drives business value. Justin breaks down the systemic dysfunctions of M&A integrations, the fatal flaw of treating PMs like glorified administrators, and why forcing arbitrary personal expectations onto a burned-out team is a guaranteed career killer. We skip the toxic positivity and dissect the messy reality of mitigating disaster, reading the room, and forcing terrified decision-makers to actually make a choice before a project bleeds out. Connect With Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinjmacbale/ Website: https://www.pragintionpm.com/ PM Career Growth Project Management Learning Platform: https://www.pmcareergrowth.com/ Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

More Than Admin: HR Is Your Secret Weapon

Most project professionals treat HR like the corporate principal's office, that we place we all try to avoid until someone makes a bad joke or a hire falls through. In reality, abdicating your talent management to a siloed department is the fastest way to doom your deliverables. Former Sazerac CHRO Joe Bongiovi drops in to explain why positional authority is a complete joke if you lack the influence to back it up. We tear down the "Golden Rule" in favor of the "Platinum Rule," expose the delusion of Ivy League recruiting, and break down why treating people like static puzzle pieces destroys project agility. If you think shouting "I'm in charge" actually makes you the leader, prepare for a harsh reality check Connect with Joe: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-bongiovi-686a903/ Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

The PM Readiness Iron Triangle: Balancing Network, Experience, and Certs

This week, Kayla Quijas tears down the romanticized idea that your experience "Speaks for itself." We get into the trenches of project management in a law firm, where buzzwords die fast and effectively managing highly skeptical stakeholders is the only metric that matters. If you're tired of screaming into the ATS void while tweaking your resume with AI to match every generic job description, you need to hear about what Kayla refers to as the "Trust gap." The real reason hiring managers are passing on you. It is time to ditch the emotional support credentials, stop acting like a desperate applicant, and start approaching interviews like the battle-tested consultant hired to solve their dysfunction. Connect with Kayla: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-quijas Website: https://kaylaqcareercoaching.com/ Podcast: https://www.kaylaqcareercoaching.com/podcast Free PM Readiness Assessment: https://www.kaylaqcareercoaching.com/pm-readiness-assessment-1 Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

Engineering Connection: The Mechanics Of Great Conversation

In this episode, Conversation Designer Jake McKee breaks down why surviving on secondhand insights from your sales or support teams is the fastest way to build features nobody wants. We strip away the corporate theater of treating users like data points to mitigate risk, and dive into Jake's Conversation Compass. We expose the conversation debt teams accumulate when they prioritize risk abatement over genuine, two-way connection. If your idea of customer research is an interrogation disguised as a focus group, prepare to have your entire roadmap dismantled. Connect with Jake: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakemckee/ Website: https://jakemckee.com Podcast: jakemckee.com/podcast Conversation Lab: Jakemckee.com/conversationlab Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

The Complexity Trap: Reducing Projects To The Bare Essentials

In a corporate world obsessed with suffocating projects under layers of administrative bloat and toxic positivity, William Stewart wants to strip project management down to its bare, functional bones. Drawing from decades of aerospace engineering and rescuing doomed initiatives, Stewart dismantles the illusion of the solo Project Manager and exposes the absurdity of demanding solutions for every problem. He argues that complexity is the enemy, flowcharts beat Gantt schedules every time, and your meticulously crafted risk budget is completely useless if you're too terrified to show a red status to your executive team. This episode is a brutal reality check for anyone tired of running the same failed plays disguised as "best practices." Connect with William: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstewart/ IFPPM: https://ifppm.org/register/?secret=disgruntled (free exam link for listeners) Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

Break The Rules To Scale: Act First, Apologize Later When It’s Your Business

Corporate bureaucracy is where good ideas go to die, suffocated by endless red tape and managers terrified of making a decision. In this episode, Freedom Fitness Equipment owner Ashton Ferrazzo breaks down exactly why he abandoned the Fortune 100 grind to build a physical business where executing action actually trumps endless consulting and planning. He exposes the toxic reality of corporate egos, the painful necessity of shedding your own terrible leadership habits, and why textbook project management frameworks often just get in the way of moving the needle. If you're tired of putting Band-Aids on bleeding wounds while waiting for committee approval, Ashton's brutal honesty about scaling a massive operation, some of his logistical nightmares, smelling salts, and more is exactly the reality check you need. Connect with Ashton: Website: https://freedomfitnessequipment.com/ Smelling Salts Video (VERY FUNNY): https://youtu.be/zbgQuIpVQlc?si=D5MRNNr6RgRhAovh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomfitnessequipment/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgkvIR-5ishTlFGJgNK9tw Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

Is PM As A Service The New Fetch?: Exploring The Fractional PM Model

We’ve all seen the corporate disaster of tossing a technical expert into a leadership role they aren't equipped for, only to watch them micromanage the code and crush their team. In this episode, former military helicopter pilot and current founder of Spec-C Technologies, Casey Sprague, exposes why trying to be the smartest person in the room is a guaranteed path to project failure. We tear apart the delusion that your $10,000 all-hands meeting is productive, dissect the glaring red flags of AI-generated busywork, and confront the harsh reality of corporate layoffs forcing PMs into fake consulting roles. Stop hiding behind your massive, bloated software files that don't actually let you plan, and learn how to actually run a team by checking your ego and admitting what you don't know. Connect with Casey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-casey-sprague/ SpectC (Project Execution Software): https://www.spectc.app/ Constructive Curiosity PMaaS: https://constructivecuriosity.com/, Book, The PMaaS Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/PMaaS-Revolution-Why-Fractional-Practical-ebook/dp/B0G4FFJLLG/ref Like, Follow, and Subscribe https://linktr.ee/thedisgruntledpm The intro music for this podcast includes portions from “The Wandering," composed and performed by The Ravened. Find more of his work at https://www.youtube.com/@the-ravened. Used with permission by The Ravened.

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